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Atletico Madrid logo
La Liga | Gameweek 8
Oct 2, 2021 at 8pm UK
Vicente Calderon Stadium
Barcelona logo

Atletico
2 - 0
Barcelona

Lemar (23'), Suarez (44')
De Paul (45+1'), Koke (78')
FT(HT: 2-0)

Gavi (20')

How Barcelona could line up against Atletico Madrid

How Barcelona could line up against Atletico Madrid
© Reuters
Sports Mole looks at how Barcelona could line up in Saturday's La Liga clash with Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman will again be missing some key players for Saturday night's La Liga contest with Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitano.

Ousmane Dembele, Sergio Aguero, Pedri and Martin Braithwaite will definitely miss the match, while Alejandro Balde is unavailable due to an ongoing back problem, but Jordi Alba has returned to the squad.

There will be changes from the side that lost 3-0 to Benfica in the Champions League, and it would not be a surprise to see the Catalan outfit revert to a four-man defence, potentially matching up to Atletico.

Gerard Pique was substituted in the first half of the game against Benfica, but it was a tactical decision rather than an enforced alteration, and the Spaniard should be in the XI for this game.

Sergino Dest and fit-again Alba are likely to operate in the full-back areas, while a strong midfield could include Frenkie de Jong, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto, with Pedri absent due to a thigh issue.

It will be fascinating to see what Koeman has in mind for the attacking positions; Memphis Depay is a certain starter, but the other two positions are open.

Ansu Fati is not expected to be considered for a start, having only just returned from a long-term knee problem, so there could be an opportunity in the final third of the field for Philippe Coutinho.

Koeman has also favoured playing with a centre-forward this season, and it would therefore not be a surprise to see Luuk de Jong again feature at the tip of the attack.

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Ter Stegen; Dest, Pique, Araujo, Alba; F de Jong, Busquets, Roberto; Memphis, L de Jong, Coutinho

> Click here to see how Atletico could line up for this clash

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How you voted: Atletico vs Barcelona

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Draw
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Barcelona
15.9%
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Barcelona attacker Pedri pictured in February 2021
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Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CReal Madrid35286178225690
2Barcelona35237572432976
3GironaGirona35236675443175
4Atletico MadridAtletico35224964392570
5Athletic Bilbao351711757352262
6Real BetisBetis35141384641555
7Real Sociedad351412948371154
8Valencia35139133739-248
9Villarreal35139135960-148
10Getafe351013124148-743
11AlavesAlaves35119153440-642
12Sevilla351011144749-241
13Osasuna35117173953-1440
14Las PalmasLas Palmas35107183044-1437
15Mallorca35714142840-1235
16Rayo Vallecano35714142743-1635
17Celta Vigo35810174053-1334
18CadizCadiz35514162449-2529
RGranada3549223668-3221
RAlmeria35211223570-3517


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